One day, King Solomon looked at
all of his stuff, all of his women, all the
chariots with the 26-inch rims. Do you
know what Solomon said as he looked
at all of this stuff? “Vanity of vanities ...
emptiness ... chasing after the wind.” You
would think he’d be happy, but he was not.
A modern-day example is Robin
Williams — famous, $30-million home,
Academy Award nominee. His job was to
make others happy. And yet, he ends up
killing himself. What I believe, under the sovereignty of God, Robin
Williams bequeaths to us: There is no lasting happiness in this life
independent of God and His son, Jesus Christ.
Some of you are sitting here thinking, “I just need to get this
degree and it will set me on a wonderful trajectory to make some
money.” God is not anti-wealth, and He’s not anti your happiness.
We find our happiness not independent of God, but in God and
God alone.
I’ve been on my little boys since the time they were 4 or 5 years
old to learn the Westminster Shorter Catechism. What is the chief
aim of life? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. As I’m dropping
offmy littlest, Jaden, at school, I’ll ask, “What does it mean to glorify
God today?” He will say, “To make Him bigger.” I say, “Jaden, give
me an image; you know we can’t make God bigger.” He’ll say, “Dad,
it’s like a telescope.”
A telescope exists to bring clearly into view those things that
are far off. A telescope does not literally make a star bigger, or the
moon bigger, it just brings them clearly into view. If you’re saved,
you are God’s telescope. May you live in such a way that people see
God through you, get a big picture of who God is, and say, “Wow!”
Paul says in Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through Him.”
You exist for the happiness of God. An authentic
follower of Jesus Christ looks at his studies at
Cedarville University not merely as a task to be
fulfilled, but looks at them as worship. When I’m
studying science, biology, English, theology, or
whatever I’m studying, the punchline is this: God,
how can I give You glory? For God’s sake, don’t let
nominal, pseudo Christians rob you of the worship
of God as you do your assignments.
Psalm 16:11 is phenomenal: “You make known
to me the paths of life; in Your presence there is
fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures
forevermore.” The psalmist is saying God is not anti
your happiness. He wants you to be happy; He wants
you to have joy. What He is “anti” is pointing the
antenna of your life away fromHim to the things of
this life and finding joy independent of Him. In His
presence, there is fullness of joy.
When the intent of my life is pointed Godward,
and I ammaking God happy, whether I eat or drink
or study or hang out, whatever it may be, it’s all done
for the glory of God. When your aim is to make God
happy, something interesting happens: You get joy.
In the presence of God, there is fullness of joy.
Bryan Loritts
is the Lead Pastor of Fellowship
Memphis, a multicultural church ministering to the
evolving community of urban Memphis.
by Bryan Loritts
The Pursuit of Happiness
The following is an excerpt from a chapel presentation by Bryan Loritts on the morning of August 19,
2014. Loritts was the keynote speaker for the 2014 Fall Bible Conference. Listen to his full remarks
and other conference messages at
.
Watch or listen online at
to hear these engaging speakers:
Chapel Notes
Feb. 3–4
Dr. D.A. Carson
Research Professor of New Testament
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Deerfield, Illinois
Feb. 18
Dr. Ronnie Floyd
President of the Southern Baptist
Convention
Senior Pastor of Cross Church
Springdale, Arkansas
Feb. 25
Dr. Russell D. Moore
President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty
Commission of the Southern Baptist
Convention
Nashville, Tennessee, andWashington, D.C.
Mar. 12
Freedom to Flourish Conference
Dr. Peter Greer
President and CEO of HOPE International
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Mar. 17–18
Dr. Mike Fabarez
Senior Pastor of Compass Bible Church
Aliso Viejo, California
Apr. 15
Wayne Huizenga, Jr.
President of Huizenga Holdings
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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